Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough … (Isaiah 56:11)
Columbus, Nebraska experienced bitter cold, biting northerly winds, and blowing snow this past week (January 7-13, 2024), and the forecast calls for more of the same in the following week. On days like this, I thank God for a nice, warm, well-insulated home that shelters us from the elements. Columbus won dubious notoriety for the greatest snowfall amount in the area with 13 inches of snow on Monday. More snow followed on Tuesday with strong winds creating deep snow drifts. Some of the drifts around my house were more than three feet deep. Then again on Thursday and into Friday (as I write this article) more snow and wind continued making the snow drifts deeper and covering all the areas I had cleared on Wednesday.
That said, occasional excursions into the blast chiller are necessary even for brief moments. So it was on Friday morning. As routine demands, our dogs, Chico and Lizzie, woke me for their morning potty run. When I opened the back door (which faces north and directly into the wind), I found that all the paths, which I had cleared earlier in the week, were completely covered up with deep snow. However, it was not as deep along the north side of our house, so the dogs could take the easier path in the direction (east) of my shed. The shed is situated behind our garage with about a three-foot concrete walkway between the two buildings. The space provides partial protection against the blowing snow, so the dogs have learned to take advantage of the clearing to get them to their favorite potty place.
The dogs quickly found the easy path and took it. Chico, being older and wiser, quickly took care of business and wasted no time returning to the warmth of the den. Lizzie, on the other hand, went around the shed (out of my sight) to her usual potty spot on the north and east sides of the shed. While there, she spotted a squirrel up in the giant Linden tree that towers over our backyard. The squirrel probably spotted Lizzie first and started chattering at her – squirrel smack talk.
Seeing the squirrel, Lizzie forgot all about her business and went after the insulting tree rat securely perched in its towering fortress. Lizzy, totally oblivious to the three-foot snowdrift between her quarry, charged headlong into the mountain of snow. Lizzie is about 10 inches tall at the shoulders, so the snowdrift is way over her head. However, that did not stop her.
Having successfully navigated the frosty obstacle, she arrived at the base of the tree. Remarkably, the ground around the base of the tree was mostly bare of snow, giving Lizzie a clear path for circling her prey. The squirrel, secure in its lofty perch above continued to hurl insults to the barking dog. Undeterred and oblivious to the bitter elements, Lizzie continued her assault. I called her several times, but she ignored me; she had a higher calling. At one point, she looked back at the path she blazed earlier and decided it was more effort than the effort she was exerting on the squirrel. I continued to call, and she continued to ignore me.
Seeing I was getting nowhere with her, I decided to go after her. That meant I would have to bundle up, get the show shovel, and dig my way over to her. After about 15 minutes of digging into the stiff north wind, I arrived at the base of the tree and my crazy dog. Thankfully, she did come when I called. I picked her up and took her into the garage where June, my wife, was waiting to do the deicing. Lizzie was covered with tightly packed snow from head to tail, which June had to comb out of her hair. Apparently, the cold finally hit her and she shivered like I had never seen before. June wrapped her up in a warm blanket and held her until she finally warmed up. June said that her belly was pink indicating that it was close to frostbite.
Since that time, we have made several more trips outside, but the excursions have been brief and down-to-business. At least for now, she seems to have learned her lesson.
This experience brought to mind our sinful condition. The squirrel represents the strong temptations that we often face. Like Lizzie, we chase after those distractions to the point that we become blind to the danger that surrounds us. God calls out to us, but we ignore Him. Then, when we find ourselves trapped and running around in circles with no apparent way out, God comes to the rescue to dig us out of our trap.
While God does rescue us from our troubles, sometimes He will leave us in our trap to teach us a lesson. Of course, that is provided that we are one of His children. We need to take care that we do not presume on God’s love for His children thinking that He will surely dig us out of the mess into which we get ourselves. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). However, if you unwittingly dig yourself into a pit, He will dig you out if you will call out to Him.
P.S.
Saturday morning when I let the dogs out for their morning run, and Lizzie once again plowed through the deep snowdrifts to get to the tree where the squirrels reside. However, the squirrels, who may be a little smarter than Lizzie, were in their nest high up in the tree trying to survive the bitter cold not caring at all about the dog below. Overnight, the wind had blown snow over the path I blazed the day before. It was as if there had never been a path there before. I called her to come, but she ignored me and kept circling the tree and looking up as if offering an invitation to the squirrels to come down and play. Once again, I had to dig my way over to rescue her before she got frostbite. Some people just never learn!
Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book. (Revelation 22:7)
Have you ever imagined traveling in a time machine and going backward or forward in time to witness what happened in the past, or to see what would happen in the future? I am sure many people have, and several science fiction movies have attempted to portray what that might be like.
Jesus granted John the privilege of actually traveling into the future to record the events that would take place at “the end of days.” Much of what John witnessed seems unpleasant, but the end result climaxes in a completely remade planet and universe – a New Heaven and a New Earth.[1] John then sees an indescribable city descending from heaven to the New Earth with space enough to accommodate the billions of God’s children throughout the ages. The city is the New Jerusalem where God will dwell among His people.
What John witnessed defies any hitherto known reality. John could hardly believe his eyes. It was incredible! It was unbelievable! And when we read John’s attempt at describing it, our mind’s eye cannot visualize it, so we may be tempted to brush it off as fantasy. In anticipation of such an occurrence, his angel tour guide reassures John and encourages him to believe what he sees. “And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done” (Revelation 22:6, emphasis mine). It may be too much for our feeble minds to take in, but the guarantee comes directly from God, and we can rest assured that it will all come true because He is faithful to keep His promises.
Then, from some unspecified source, we hear the words of Jesus. “Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book” (Revelation 22:7, emphasis mine). The Greek word translated as “quickly” is tachu from which we get our English word “tachometer.” Since Jesus said this almost 2000 years ago, it makes us wonder, “What is His definition of quickly?” It also gives fodder to the skeptics of whom the Apostle Peter warned. “Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation” (2 Peter 3:3-4, emphasis mine). Peter also reminded us that God’s timing is not like ours. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8, emphasis mine). Peter is not providing a formula by which we can calculate God’s timetable. Rather, he applies simile (“as”) to emphasize that God’s measure of time does not correlate to ours. God is infinite. He is “timeless.” He is not bound by time. His attribute of omnipresence – being everywhere present at all times – also applies to our understanding of time. He exists in the past, present, and future simultaneously, which explains why He can tell the end from the beginning.[2] Considering the word “tachu” with the application of a tachometer, which measures the revolutions per minute (RPM) of an internal combustion engine; the faster the engine turns, the higher the RPMs the tachometer reads. In the same way, as we begin to see the things described in Revelation, they will rapidly increase in number and intensity the nearer we get to execution time. Even now, we see the rapid decline in morality and what used to be the “social norm.” The plans of the globalists – the “One-Worlders” – are being implemented worldwide at this moment. It is happing “quickly,” and this is probably what Jesus meant by the word “tachu.”
Many “Christians” today pay little attention to the Book of Revelation for a variety of reasons; however, Jesus says, “blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.” Sadly, far too many pastors avoid teaching it because they fear that it breeds controversy and contentions. Fear is not of God; it is of Satan whose silencing the Word of God is part of his strategy. If taught rightly, there should be no controversy and those who object are the ones that need to hear it the most. Other pastors will not teach it because they do not understand it themselves. There is only one remedy for that. “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Still, others think it might incite fear in people for the things that are about to come. Good! If they are lost, fear might be the incentive they need to get saved. If the pre-millennial, pre-tribulational view is taught, Christians have the hope of the Rapture and a greater incentive to share the Gospel with friends and family. The study, preaching, and teaching of this book is a blessing, says Jesus.
“And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand” (Revelation 22:8-10, emphasis mine). John is so overwhelmed by all that he has seen – the Rapture he experienced, the Great Tribulation, the Millennial Kingdom, the Great White Throne Judgment, the New Heaven, New Earth, and the New Jerusalem – that he falls at the feet of the angel and worships him. Note that the angel refuses the worship and directs the worship to God who alone is worthy of worship. The angel instructs John not to seal up the prophecy, “for the time is at hand.” The Prophet Daniel wanted to understand the prophecies of the end-times given to him, and he was given much different instructions. Daniel says, “And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end” (Daniel 12:8-9, emphasis mine). Daniel was not given the insight to understand the end-times. However, in the end, “the wise shall understand” (Daniel 12:10). Revelation is NOT sealed, and it is written for “the wise” to understand, and now, more than ever, “the time is at hand” for the wise to understand.
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still” (Revelation 22:11). At this point in the Revelation, all accounts have been settled. Those that are unjust and filthy have been condemned to the lake of fire for all eternity, and they will continue eternally in the same state in which they were found guilty. The righteous and the holy (by the righteousness imputed on them by Christ) will continue in that same state for eternity.
For those of us living today, Jesus once again speaks. “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last” (Revelation 22:12-13, emphasis mine). We see again the Greek word “tachu,” indicating that things are quickly winding up. Jesus comes with His reward in hand to give every person according to their works. For the unrepentant, unbelieving Christ-rejectors, their reward is the lake of fire. “For the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). For those who place their trust in Christ, “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 6:23). Jesus claims authority as the great “I AM.”[3] “I AM Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” He is the timeless, everlasting God!
“Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie” (Revelation 22:14-15, emphasis mine). This is meant for us today. This is not future; it is now. “Blessed are they that do his commandments.” Jesus said, “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). What are those commandments? “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me” (John 14:1, emphasis mine). “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31, emphasis mine). “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12, emphasis mine). “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself” (Matthew 22:37-39, emphasis mine). Those who keep His commandments are on the “inside” (now) and have the right to the “tree of life” (i.e., eternal life). Those on the outside are the “dogs.” In John’s day, dogs were not the lovable pets that we love and cherish today. In his day, dogs were nasty, filthy, mangy, scavengers kept outside of the house. God regards sinners with the same contempt. Their sins are listed in the text; however, their main fault is their rejection of Christ and their refusal to obey His commandments. They will remain outcasts forever unless they repent while there is time. “The time is at hand!”
“I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Revelation 22:16, emphasis mine). This message is contemporary. It is relevant for us today. It is meant for the churches, not only for the seven churches that Jesus, through John, addressed but for the churches throughout the Church Age.
“And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17). Here is the invitation. It is the Holy Spirit that speaks to the heart of every person to convict them of sin,[4] to convince them of their need for the Savior.[5] The Bride, the Church, the local body of believers, is the instrument through which the Holy Spirit works. Together they issue the invitation, “Come.” It is not through coercion but through the preaching of the Word of God. “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Romans 10:13-14, emphasis mine). All who respond to the invitation are welcome to partake of “the water of life freely,” i.e., eternal life.
“For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book” (Revelation 22:18-19, emphasis mine). Anyone (including myself) who handles the Word of God should take this warning very seriously. As humans, we are prone to error, and we can misinterpret Scripture occasionally for any number of reasons: lack of understanding, lack of maturity (spiritual growth – sanctification – is a process), lack of knowledge, etc. Such “mistakes” are understandable and excusable to some extent; they can be corrected. However, this admonition is for those who purposefully tamper with God’s Word in order to have it say what they want it to say. This warning is not only for the Book of Revelation, but it applies to all of Scripture because it is all prophecy, i.e., telling forth the Word of God. The Old Testament has a similar admonition. “Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you” (Deuteronomy 4:2, emphasis mine). Anyone who handles the Word of God – pastors, evangelists, teachers, authors, etc. – needs to take this warning seriously.
“He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (Revelation 22:20, emphasis mine). “He which testifieth” is the Lord Jesus Christ. He reminds us once again that His return is imminent. As we see the events predicted in this prophecy falling into place at an alarming rate, we know that the full force of this prophecy cannot be that far off. For those of us who have placed our faith in Christ, we can say with the Apostle John, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus!” We may even add “quickly.”
“The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen” (Revelation 22:21). “Grace” is the free, unmerited, gift of the Lord (Master, Owner, Possessor) Jesus (Yahweh Saves) Christ (Messiah, the Anointed One). That gift is eternal life, not only future, but in this present life. Eternal life, for the believer, starts right now and never ends. This physical, corrupt flesh must be done away with, but our spirit lives forever. The Apostle Paul says, “For this corruptible [flesh] must put on incorruption, and this mortal [flesh] must put on immortality” (1 Corinthians 15:53). He explains how this takes place. “Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep [die], but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed” (1 Corinthians 15:51-52). So, whether our dead bodies are resurrected and rise from their resting place or our living bodies are instantly changed at the Rapture, they will be renewed to incorruptible bodies suitable to be in the presence of Holy God. That is the “grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” that is with us always.
“Amen.” It is the same word in Hebrew and in Greek meaning, “it is true.”
Reader, Jesus is coming quickly, as He promised. Are you ready to meet Him? If you do not know the Savior, do not wait any longer. The time is short. Please read my page on “Securing Eternal Life.”
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast … (Proverbs 12:10)
He was an unwanted gift. My sister gave him to my dad because Dad had recently lost his “Tiny” Chihuahua, literally. He had left her inside his unlocked car and someone took her. Dad grieved the loss of his little companion that went everywhere with him and my sister wanted to ease the pain. However, Dad was not ready for a replacement, but he accepted the “gift” because of the giver. He named him “Regalo,” which means “gift” in Spanish.
Dad gets the “Gift,” August 2009
Dad had trouble housebreaking Regalo, and once the pup was big enough, he was put outside for good. At the time, Dad pastored a church in Brady, Texas and he lived in the parsonage next to the church building. He strung a wire between the church building and the parsonage and tethered Regalo to the line so that he could run back and forth between the two. He also built a dog house for shelter and basically forgot about the dog. Oh, he fed and watered him and showed him affection whenever he came outside, but other than that, Regalo was pretty much ignored. I do not mean to make it sound as if Dad mistreated Regalo. Dad loved all kinds of animals. Regalo was fed, watered, sheltered, and taken to the veterinarian for all his shots, and while he was tethered, he did have a lot of space to run. The tether kept him safe from getting ran over by a car – Dad did not have a fenced yard. However, anyone who has dogs understands that they are social animals, and they want to be around their packs. This is what Regalo missed.
Regalo came to us when he was five years old. Here he is just back from his first visit to the groomer on September 9, 2014.
Regalo was born sometime in June 2009, and my sister gave him to my dad when he was about eight weeks old in August 2009. Dad went to be with the Lord on August 27, 2014, and we held his funeral on September 2, 2014. Afterward, us siblings got together to divide up the “inheritance;” Dad did not leave much behind, but Regalo, now five years old, was one of those. He was flea infested and in bad need of a grooming. June wanted to “rescue” him, but I was not so eager. We already had two other dogs, Nacho and Chico, and I did not think we needed a third. My sister also wanted to take him, but she had no place for him at that time. So, we agreed that we would take Regalo and keep him until my sister found a house where she could keep him.
After several hours of bathing with flea shampoo, Regalo came home with us. On the way home, June carried him in her lap. Poor little guy – I say “little” because he only weighed 10 pounds at that time – was so nervous and scared that he peed on June’s lap. “Great!” I thought, “Now we have to worry about housebreaking him.” Along the way, we made a couple of unscheduled stops so that he could “go,” and he did fine the rest of the way home.
Housebreaking was not that hard for Regalo. He only had a couple of “accidents,” but he quickly learned where to do his business. He even learned how to ask to be let out. During his first week with us, we took him to a “dogapalooza” in our neighborhood for shots and a checkup. There we learned that Regalo had heartworm and treatment would cost between $600 and $800. I called my sister with the news and offered an option. I would pay for the treatments and she could reimburse me, or I would pay for the treatments and keep the dog. There was no hesitation. “You keep him,” was her immediate response. The treatments involved two rounds of injections about a month apart and restricted activity. For Regalo, “restricted activity” seemed to be second nature to him. He was one chilled pup.
With his heartworm treatments completed, Regalo got up to a respectable fighting weight of 20 pounds. I don’t know if it was because of the bout with heartworm, but Regalo was a low-energy dog. He would walk until he found a good place to flop and drop for a nap. It was usually in our path of travel, and our approach did not motivate him to move. He was happy to let us step over him. Sometimes he would park himself right under our feet without our knowledge and get his big “Grinch-feet” stepped on. However, that was one lesson he never learned.
After I retired in December 2019, Ragalo was happy just to be near me.
I retired in December 2019. Regalo was now ten years old. He and I grew closer during that time. He would follow me from room to room and whenever I found a good roost, he would flop down beside me. He was content just to be near me. We moved from Garland, Texas to Columbus, Nebraska in April of 2022. Regalo was approaching his 13th birthday. Our new house in Columbus included a basement, something we Texans were not used to. I have a “man cave” down in my basement, and I can spend hours down there. When I would come up, I would find Regalo waiting for me at the top of the stairs. God designed Regalo with stubby legs; getting down the steep stairs scared him, so he was happy to wait for me at the top of the stairs. When I finally figured out what he was doing, I started carrying down his chunky self with me. There he would find a good place to flop and just knowing I was there was all he wanted.
Regalo was unassuming and never demanding. When we would sit for a meal, he would come to the table, but never beg for food, like the other dogs. If we offered, he would take it, but he would never beg. Now at the food dish, that was another thing altogether. He ruled the food dish and he let the other dogs know it. That was the only time he ever expressed any aggression, otherwise, he was very loving to the other dogs – constantly grooming them – and to us. I got lots of kisses from him.
June and I had plans to go down to Texas to take care of some doctors’ visits and other appointments at the end of March. We put Nacho down before we moved to Columbus, so we decided to take Regalo and Chico along with us. However, a couple of weeks before our trip, we noticed Regalo really slowing down, more than usual. He had become incontinent and medications were not helping. We also noticed a couple of episodes of what appeared to be seizures, so we took him off of the meds for incontinence and bought doggie diapers for him. I was really worried about him making the trip. We would be staying with our good friends, Wayne and Linda, who would be keeping our dogs, and I did not want to burden them with Regalo’s geriatric issues.
This was the last picture I took of Regalo just three days before his passing. Even here, one can tell there is little energy left in him.
I remember watching Regalo out in our big backyard. He enjoyed just laying out there and smelling the air. Then we would call him in and he would run to the door with a big smile on his face. He looked like a happy puppy even in his old age. But now, when we put him out to do his business, he did not even have the strength to hike up his leg to pee. He just flopped on his stomach and unloaded his bladder.
Finally, on Saturday, March 25, 2023, I let him out with his diaper. He took a few steps beyond our patio and laid down on the grass. After a while, I called him in and he took just a few steps inside the door and dropped on the floor. He had absolutely no energy. As I looked at him, I prayed, “Lord, please don’t make me put him down. If he needs to go, please just take him.” It was about this time last year that I had to put Nacho down, and even though he was a rather eccentric, weird dog, we loved him and it hurt to put him down. I did not want to go through the same thing with Regalo.
I scratched his head and told him what a good boy he was and went downstairs to finish up whatever it was I was doing – probably writing another blog article. About an hour later, I went back upstairs and Regalo had managed to make it up to the hallway leading to our bedroom although he was facing toward the kitchen. Again, I cradled his head in my hands, scratched his ears, and told him what a good boy he was. I could tell he was not doing well. I returned to my mancave and about an hour later, June came downstairs and said, “Ernie, I think Regalo is gone.” I left what I was doing and went straight to where I had last seen him. I found him motionless facing the direction of our bedroom. There, June kept a doggie bed in her closet and Regalo had claimed it as his personal den. I am sure he was headed for his safe place, but he didn’t make it.
I got down on the floor and put my head on his chest. No heartbeat. No breath. He was gone, just as quietly as was his nature. June got down on the floor with me and we both wept bitterly. Loving him. Stroking him. Wishing that somehow our affection would bring him around, but he was gone. Chico was there too. He was confused. He did not understand our wailing. After much crying, I picked up Regalo and cradled him in my arms holding him close to me, while June called the vet to get advice on what to do. The vet said she was on her way into the office to make rounds on her patients and that we could bring him in and she would take care of the cremation. I drove us to the vet while June held Regalo in her lap one last time. We carried him in to the vet and let her take over from there. That was the last time we would see our sweet boy.
It’s sad to think that this is all that remains of such a sweet and loving companion.
We took our short trip to the Dallas area with our “only child,” Chico. When we returned home, I went to the vet’s office to pick up Regalo’s remains – less than half a pound of ashes in a tightly sealed plastic bag. I wonder what the attendant must have thought when I remarked, “Is that all?” He was all of 20 pounds, fluffy, furry, and full of life, and this was all that remained. When the weather gets nicer, we will scatter his ashes in our big backyard where he loved to lay and sniff the air. And I can still imagine him running toward me when I call, with that big happy smile on his face. Oh! How I miss him!
This is not the first time we’ve gone through this. I remember a little friend we had many years ago. She was one we raised from a pup. She also lived to be 14. We had to put her down, and I remember the tears. As the end of her life neared, I wondered if there was a Doggie Heaven. I don’t know for sure, however, I concluded that it is certainly possible. Animals did not sin and bring the curse of death upon the world. And when God created, death was not part of His “very good” creation. Therefore, it’s very possible that animals do inherit eternal life simply because it was not God’s intention for them to die in the first place. I hope I’m right about that, and when I get to heaven, I hope to see Regalo there and when I call his name, he’ll come running to me with a big smile on his face, and along with him, all the other dogs in my pack. Regalo was a very good boy.
He loved his big backyard. “Did you call, Daddy?” This is how I want to remember him.
And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the [little] dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table. (Matthew 15:27)
This last week was a sad one for June and me. We had to say goodbye to our 15-year-old, geriatric Chihuahua, Nacho. Nacho, although surprisingly full of energy, was showing his age. He limped, albeit quickly, on his arthritic legs. Sometimes his right shoulder would lock up, and he would cry out in pain, and after a gentle massage from me, he would return to his “normal” self. He was losing his hearing and sight, which made him aggressive toward our other two dogs if they approached him unexpectedly, especially when he was trying to eat. Eating was another problem. By now, he had lost several of his molars, so he had difficulty chewing his kibble.
The last month or so, we noticed that Nacho was losing weight. Nacho was big for a Chihuahua – a lean ten pounds – so he did not have much to lose. We could count the vertebras on his back and his ribs were beginning to show. His weight loss concerned us, so we started feeding him soft canned food, but that did not seem to help. Finally, he started urinating all over the house, even after going out for a pee-pee run. He had never done that before. We concluded this was the beginning of kidney failure for the old guy.
June and I are moving to Nebraska next month. Unlike Texas, Nebraska winters can be brutal. We thought Nacho would not do well in that cold climate, with his skinny, arthritic body. That and the fact that he would be going to an unfamiliar house that he would have to navigate with his poor eyesight. Then there were the bladder control issues. We thought about putting him up for adoption, but who wants a geriatric dog with multiple health issues that could linger for another three years? (Chihuahua’s can live up to 18 years.) Oh, and did I mention that he exhibited signs of dementia? Sometimes he would walk into a room, stop dead in his tracks, and stare as if he forgot why he came into the room.
So, we thought it best to have him put to sleep. I was stuck with the dirty work, and it ripped my heart in two. It was all I could do to maintain my composure and not break out bawling there at the animal shelter. I reserved that for the drive home. June met me when I arrived home, and we embraced and cried all over each other.
It is funny – not funny, ha ha – how an animal can take over such a large part of our hearts. I had a love-hate relationship with Nacho. He was neurotic. He was skittish. He was aloof, almost cat-like, not warm and loving like most dogs. He was loud. Oh! He was oh so loud! But we had our moments. When I would reach out to pick him up, he squirmed away as if I was about to beat him (I never did), but when I finally picked him up, he would lick my face out of obligation (I think). Still, I loved the weirdo.
Nacho loved to sing along when anyone sang. I remember one Fourth of July when June and I were visiting family in Nebraska. We went to the Fourth of July parade in Platte Center, NE, and we took Nacho along with us. Before the parade started, a high school girl stared singing the National Anthem. By the third measure, Nacho was loudly singing right along with her, and I could not shut him up. I was so embarrassed!
When I was growing up, my parents would always sing “Las Mañanitas” on our birthdays. We have kept up the tradition, and when my siblings’ birthdays come around, I call them up and sing “Las Mañanitas” to them. Nacho was always ready to join in. He stopped singing when his hearing dimmed. Even when I held him and sang, he stopped joining in.
He also howled when I called him by his “full” name – Ignacio Panza Con Patas Carrasco. (Panza con patas means “belly with feet.”) It was the funniest thing. I would say his full name, and he would start howling. I do not know why. Did he understand he was being insulted? I don’t know, but when we had guests over, I would always entertain them with Nacho’s antics.
Nacho protesting being called by his full name – Ignacio Panza Con Patas Carrasco!
Nacho came to us when he was about eight weeks old. He was about five inches long – about the length of our TV remote control. He gave us a lot of his love in his own weird way. He had a way of “talking” to us in a way that made himself understood. He was really smart. I will miss him. I am sure that if there is a “Doggie Heaven,” he’ll be there. I miss you, Viejo!J
And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so. (Genesis 1:24)
I came in late from work the other night, warmed up my dinner and joined my wife in front of the television set to watch the last half of “Hawaii 5-0.” I enjoy this show mostly because I do not need to exert much mental capacity to see through the incredible (a.k.a. “unbelievable”) plots.
After the show, June switched the channel to some animal show. She enjoys all kinds of animal shows, veterinarian shows, and weird shows like “Dr. Pimple Popper.” That explains why I do not watch a lot of T.V. Anyway, the channel she landed on dealt with dog evolution. That piqued my interest, so I stretched out on the couch to watch the rest of the show.
The program started out claiming that all dogs “evolved” from wolves. Evolutionists conveniently conflate two distinct forms of evolution and lump them all together and call it all evolution. However, there is a clear distinction which the evolutionists work hard to blur. They would have us believe that microevolution, minor variations within species, is evidence for macroevolution, which teaches that all life forms, i.e., sea creatures, plants, insects, animals, birds, etc. all sprung from a single-cell creature that resulted from some freak chemical reaction of inert material in some primordial pond. Many problems exist with that notion that would prevent anything to come close enough to where microevolution could take place. Evolutionists cannot explain how macroevolution happens, but they know it did happen because we observe microevolution take place. So, let’s just remove the confusion and call it all evolution.
Setting that debate aside, let’s just play along. Evolutionists want to explain the existence of life without a Life Giver and design without a Designer. If everything just popped into existence, perfectly designed to fill all kinds of environmental niches, there is no need for God.
So the T.V. program proclaimed that all dogs evolved from wolves. I agree with that, only I prefer to say that all dogs descended from wolves – two, in fact, the two Noah carried onboard the Ark. “And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive” (Genesis 6:19-20, emphasis mine). That “kind” is the same “kind” that God created back in Genesis 1. We may understand “kind” by the taxonomical term of “family.” Within a “kind,” there exists enough flexibility in the DNA to allow for variation and “speciation.” So from the “wolf kind,” or “canine family” we can get wolves, foxes, jackals, hyenas, dingoes, etc., and our loving canine companions – dogs.
Evolutionists assert that evolution is progressive and that life forms improve through the process, and that weaker forms die off. That is called “survival of the fittest.” However, a close examination of dog evolution shows that the descendants of the pair carried on the Ark, have lost many of the characteristics of the first wolves. Their DNA looses information rather than gaining new information; therefore, it is impossible to breed back up the chain to make wolves out of Chihuahuas.
I found it amusing how the show’s producers discussed breeding programs to “evolve” other varying breeds of dogs. They seemed completely unaware that what they called evolution, which supposedly is a random and purposeless process, actually involved specific purposes determined by an intelligent designer, i.e., the breeder. Great Danes did not just “evolve;” they were bred to be Great Danes by intelligent human beings. Yet somehow, that minor fact seemed to elude the producers of the show.
Wolves did not “evolve” from any other animals. They were created by God in the beginning as the “canine kind.” Dogs and other canine species did not “evolve,” but rather “descended” from wolves (the original canine kind). And the reason we have so many varieties of dogs is that humans, who are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27), exercised their God-given intelligence to selectively breed dogs for specific purposes. So much for dog evolution!
Ernie's Musings 